city kids

A new digital hub created by the NYC Children’s Cabinet offers a one-stop shop of city events, programs and services designed to support the health, development and safety of children and families. “Growing Up NYC is a wonderful digital how-to resource to help parents navigate raising children in New York City —which we all know can be tough,” First lady Chirlane McCray said in a statement Friday.

It’s no secret that families are ditching Manhattan for Brooklyn or the Suburbs, where they can get more space for their money and maybe even a backyard, but a new report shows the shifting dynamics of those families who decide to stay in the big city.

We talked to five families currently raising school-age (or soon-to-be) children in New York City’s many diverse and multifaceted neighborhoods about why they pick city living over the suburbs. What are your feelings on the age-old debate?

The ‘American Dream’ may have dominated the last few decades, causing a mass exodus to the suburbs, but today’s families are reversing the trend and turning their attention back to the city. The reasons are many: An appreciation for cultural offerings, the camaraderie and creative cross-pollination of networks of colleagues, friends and family, the convenience of being able to walk or bike to school, work or child care without a long commute—just to name a few. New York City has always been a haven for the forward-thinking, albeit a challenging one. And its newly-”discovered” outer boroughs as well as an unprecedentedly low crime rate have made the city a prime choice for family living.

But what is it about those city kids—the ones with parents who planned from the start to raise their kids in a non-stop urban environment? We interrupted the busy schedules of five families currently raising school-age (or soon-to-be) children in New York City’s many diverse and multifaceted neighborhoods to get some insight about why they wouldn’t have it any other way.